Silverfox Match Angling: Monday 18/05/2026 to Thursday 21/05/2026 - Whiteacres Clubman Festival - Python, Pollawyn, Twin Oaks and Trelawney

Looking forward to the week down Whiteacres with Geoff Francis, our 4th year. The first match is Monday but travelled Saturday, separately - too much kit. Geoff followed me down and were slowed to 40/50 mph for some time due to a wide load taking up one and sometimes two lanes. Still made a nice steady drive. We paid for early entry so just enough time for tackle shop a walk around the fishery, finding Ray and Phil Cooper fishing Jenny's. Ray had been keeping a Topper Crow Quill Canal waggler for me as he didn't use it any longer and I might - pictured - Topper made some great river waggler's as well as his famous Avon floats. After our walk Geoff commented on how well kept the fishery was with no litter. We finished up in the club for a pint with the rest of the Over 55's. Geoff, Phil Morgan and me booked up for a curry in the Maharajah - Newquay. Nice outlook but the service was absolutely awful. It took an hour for the starters to arrive then with no signs of the mains arriving Geoff decided to have a right go at the manager - Geoff pictured coming to the boil. We finally got our meal and Geoff got all our drinks taken off the bill - good one - let this be a lesson to everyone - never get between Geoff and food.

Sunday: most of the lads went off to Bolingey for a match. And after a nice breakfast served up by Geoff, we went for a short practice session on Trelawney. As Geoff knows I get bored very quickly when pleasure fishing. Spent a couple of hours fishing and came to the conclusion that it was going to be hard. Paste wasn't really doing it, finding caster down both margins most effective. Packed up and went to the Halfway house for Sunday lunch - very nice.

Monday 18/05/2026: Python peg 24:

Another excellent breakfast served up by Geoff. Usual FB message with our peg number, putting me on Python 24. Walked from our shed and met matey Ian Hudson on a bad draw on Jenny's for the residents match. He said that peg 24 was in the right area.

Set up the short Ronnie rig a 4x10 Speedy for both edges and a 0.4 gram paste float to fish top set plus three barrel's. Started on the paste over micro and fouled hooked a Carp first dob in, In again and had a decent Carp. Other than a scrawny Carrasio the line died. Had been loose feeding both margins with caster which started to produce some Perch, Ronnie's and the occasional decent Carp including a Ghosty loosing another Ghosty soon afterwards. In and out kept trying the paste which produce the odd F1, but mostly stayed in the margins. Always one margin produces more that the other and in this case it was the right. All margin fish caught on the top set.

Weighed 35 lb 9 oz for second section and 3rd super pool. So a reasonable start - up the caster.

All the restaurant's were closed Mondays so Geoff did a delicious Sirloin steak Baggett with trimmings. Just right.

Tuesday 19/05/2026: Pollawyn:

Arrived at the peg and was bitterly disappointed as the peg had no margins except wood from old platform on the right and likewise to the left platform peg 19 old wood - pictured. Umm.

Was told there was a bar at 13 metres so set the a 7" Drake bodied waggler and spent 20 minutes casting it around the deep bowl at various distances and just found it very deep everywhere. Suspect the bar been washed away over the years. So set it up at 4 foot to fish caster shallow at 20 metres or so.

There are two ends of islands at 40ish metres which were probably crying out for the method to be chuck at them, but as I don't do that thought about the pellet waggler but the wind was horrendous so no go on that.

Plumbed up the paste float at top set plus one and a bit in 7 foot of water and must admit it felt right as it gently sloped off into the bowl and could pulled the paste up the slope. So fingers crossed the fish would like it too.

Set up the short Ronnie rig to fish down the side down tight to the plank towards peg 19 with caster.

Well started on the paste over micro and lost a Skimmer and had one about 12 oz. That was it - I'm in trouble. Picked up the waggler and fished double caster over loose fed the same. Although the wind was awful the bodied waggler presented reasonably well, but the light was difficult. Soon binned it without a sign. Over on the other point pegs one of the two was catching on the method. So decision made to fish the Ronnie rig with caster and caught Perch and Ronnie's for the last three hour's. Nothing about the margin was right.

Weighed 15 lb 8 oz for 2 points. Definitely left 1 more point on the table needing another pound a which would have been easy if I spent a more time on the Ronnie rig early on. Probably a lot more if I fished the Method!! The wind was awful.

We were joined by Phil "Fuzzy" Morgan for dinner at the Journeyman Restaurant. Best Balti since last time there with son Mark. Regretfully decided on a desert which was huge, luckily I was with two fat helpful bastards.

Wednesday 20/05/2026: Twin Oaks:

Breakfast roll for us today which was enough after last nights feast.

Peg 24 for me. Delighted to find its one of the small crappy concrete platforms that has been replaced. Had an empty peg next door peg 23. However, due to the reeds couldn't get near it and also hemmed in on the left also.

Set up the pellet waggler but wasn't hopeful due to again the horrendous wind. Short Ronnie rig, 4x10 Speedy and a 0.4 gram paste float.

Started on the paste and micro and had two small F1's before it died. Now sat here writing this I'm wondering if I haven't given the paste long enough - won't ever know now! So had a few chucks on the pellet waggler fishing 4's and feeding fours and decided the fish would have to by starving to take the bait with the wind taking it through so quick - that was binned. Only peg 19 seemed to be catching with everyone else was struggling. So fished the Short Ronnie rig with maggot down the right and the Speedy to the left on caster. Had some decent F1's down the right and some decent Carp down the left on caster. Tried the paste in and out but nothing. Fished the caster side to the end and had another Carp loosing two foulers.

Weighed 16 lb 12 oz for 4 points. With 4 lb each side thought I fished a decent match.

The Two Clome's for Geoff, Fuzzy and me. Must say the food has drastically improved since last there with my Wife.

Thursday 21/05/2026: Trelawney:

We had a guest for breakfast being joined by Fuzzy Phil.

Peg 10 for me a short walk from the shed and was able to go back for a cup of tea before the start - 3 hours from the draw to "all in" I find strange.

Usual rigs; Paste, short Ronnie, 4x10 Speedy and a 7" Drake bodied waggler. Plumbed around each margin which was disappointing very shallow. The bank is severely undercut with the bank to the right having collapsed. Not much water on the three barrel line for the paste either where I planned to start. Talking to Fuzzy Phil who fished the lake the previous day explained he was beaten again by his nemesis dobbing big balls of paste around the peg without feeding. This got me thinking. Although I find it impossible not feed decided to cut it back to kindering small offerings of micro. The upshot I had a good first half of the match catching F1's and some decent Carp. The wind once again was horrendous at least the temperature had increased. It slowed and wanted a rest from fighting the wind so first tried the short Ronnie rig with maggot down the left out from the margin and had a couple of Ronnie's and one big F1. Down to the right with the Speedy with caster into a bay created by land slip and had a couple of big Carp, with another one of them completely fooling me into thinking it had come off only having charged into the bank and snapping the hook length. Lost another big Carp both of which would have made a difference. Had a few casts on the waggler with maggot and had a lot of indications only to find the culprits to be small Ronnie's - waggler abandon in any case had to put too much line on bottom to slow the waggler down due to the wind.

Weighed 32 lb 14 oz for second section which was OK. Now regretting not starting a new paste line to rest the margins.

We had a table booked at the Two Clomes with Geoff, Fuzzy Phil, Pete "Cliff" Smith, Jeff Grant, Chris Gay and me. Choose the Sirloin steak which was very good and can recommend this Pub, service is excellent. Chris Gay had won his section on Twin Oak's so thanks Chris for buying a round for us - appreciated.

Overall Results form this weeks Club angler festival:

1st place Will Sweeney with 24 points, with a weight of 156lb 12oz

2nd place is Dave Elliott with 23 points and a weight of 205lb 03oz

3rd place John Pilling with 22 points and a weight of 195lb 08oz.

I amassed 10 points and 100 lb 11 oz for 38th - could have been worse. Felt the draw on Pollawyn and Twin Oakes could have been better but happy with the other two draws. The venue fished very hard with the weather being unkind for the four days. Very challenging, but enjoyable for me.

The best from our Bristol contingent was Mick "Mucky" Gale in 17th place and John Smith 22nd.

A shame that Haydn Withers had to pull out for a family illness, was well missed . He will be back in 2027.

For family reason I went home on the Friday. However, the lads teamed up the Fry's the lads and fished a 15 pegger at Morgan Porth with Geoff Francis taking the match with 146 lb on paste. Well done matey.

Weigh Sheet: